July 21, 2020 – SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. – Emily Kramer, former Carta executive and VP of Marketing, filed suit against the equity-management software maker today, alleging that Carta discriminated against her on the basis of gender, retaliated against her, wrongfully terminated her in violation of public policy, violated the California Equal Pay Act, and failed […]
Former On-Air Reporter Sues KCBS, Alleges Station Terminated Her for Reporting Sexual Harassment
February 25, 2020 – Long-time reporter Sheryl Raines, whose on-air traffic coverage for the station spanned nearly three decades, is suing KCBS Radio, which is owned by Entercom Communications Corp. Raines alleges the San Francisco radio station terminated her in retaliation for repeatedly reporting that a male radio engineer was sexually harassing women working in […]
Can Taking a Knee Get a Football Player Fired?
While attending a political rally on Friday, September 22, President Trump said that NFL players who engaged in protests by “taking a knee” should be fired. Two days later, Trump doubled-down on his earlier statement, and sent out a tweet stating that team owners should “fire or suspend” NFL players who participate in protests. Following […]
$3.6 Million Settlement for City Employee Subjected to Retaliation and Wrongful Termination
Partners Darci Burrell and Leslie Levy represented a 27-year employee of the City of Emeryville after she was terminated from her job following a psychiatrist’s report that she was “unfit for duty.” The employee, who was chief union steward at the time of her termination, had challenged racial discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment by City management throughout her career. Darci and Leslie charted new legal territory in this case by bringing a claim against the psychiatrist, Dr. Stephen Raffle, for “aiding and abetting” the City in retaliating against their client for her years of anti-discrimination advocacy on behalf of herself and others. On the eve of the jury trial, Emeryville agreed to pay an estimated $3.6 million in damages and attorney’s fees to settle the case. The settlement was a vindication for the employee and restored her good name.
$2.4 Million Arbitration Award for Victim of Sexual Harassment by 24 Hour Fitness
Jean Hyams was on the team of attorneys that represented a corporate sales manager in her sexual harassment claims against her employer, 24 Hour Fitness. The company required their employees to sign away the right to a trial by jury as a condition of their employment, so the claims could only be brought through private arbitration. The result, a $2.4 million award, including $1.2 million in punitive damages was one of the largest awards on record for a single-plaintiff arbitration. After the arbitration, the employer tried to seal the record to keep the plaintiff from publicizing the outcome of her case. Jean Hyams and Leslie Levy fought a successful post-arbitration legal battle for the right to make the company’s misdeeds public so that other employers would learn the costly consequences of sexual harassment in the workplace.
Confidential Settlement for Two Men Terminated After Complaining About Racist, Sexist and Homophobic Comments by Boss
Partner Sharon Vinick represented two men who alleged that they had been demoted, and constructively terminated, after complaining that their boss repeated made racist, sexist and homophobic comments about other employees, and discriminated against employees and job applicants. The case, which was in arbitration, settled in the high six-figures.
$475,000 Settlement for Police Officer Terminated After Refusing To File False Police Report
Partner Jean Hyams brought suit for wrongful termination in violation of public policy on behalf of a police officer who was terminated after he complained to his superiors that he had been unlawfully pressured to falsify a police report. By taking depositions of command officers up the chain of command to the level of chief […]
Confidential Settlement for Woman Retaliated Against After Taking Medical Leave
A woman who missed work because of her serious health condition was fired by her employer under its “no fault” absence policy. Partner Jean Hyams filed suit on her behalf. The employer ended up footing the bill for the plaintiff’s attorneys fees and paying the plaintiff money damages to avoid a jury trial.
Arbitration Award for Employee Terminated After Taking Medical Leave
In a case arbitrated pursuant to a mandatory employment arbitration agreement, partners Jean Hyams and Leslie Levy won a case for a woman who was terminated from her job after taking time off as medical leave. Since the termination took place as part of a major corporate reorganization and the layoff of hundreds of people, […]
LVBH Sues Golden Gate Fields on Behalf of an Injured Groundskeeper
For more than a dozen years, Alejandro Muñoz worked as a year-round Laborer/Groundskeeper at the Golden Gate Fields. He injured his knee at work. In 2015, Muñoz had a knee replacement. Thereafter, his doctor released him to work with no restrictions, because his doctor believe that Mr. Muñoz could perform all the essential functions of his […]
Sexual Assault and Harassment Case for Two Janitorial Workers Ends in Settlement
Partner Sharon Vinick, working with attorneys from Centro Legal De La Raza, filed a complaint on behalf of two janitorial service workers. The two employees were repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted by their direct supervisor, who secured their silence by threatening to cut their hours and give them difficult assignments. The supervisor went so far […]
Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP Wins Award of $3,050,000 in Disability Retaliation Case
On November 23, 2015, a jury in Alameda County awarded $3,050,000 to Trish Metzner, who was represented by Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP. The case, which was tried by Darci Burrell, Katherine Smith and Leslie Levy, was brought against The Permanente Medical Group/Kaiser Foundation Hospitals. The case, which is captioned Metzner v. The TMPG, was […]
